Automobile construction.



3 G. BARTLETT. AUTOMOBILE CONSTRUCTION.

APPLICATION I'TLED AUG.4, 1913.

m a l outrun srn s canton.

AUTUMQBILE CONSTRUCTION.

Specification of Letters 2atent.

Patented Jan. 312, 1915.

Application filed August 4., 1913. Serial No. 752,818.

To a? Z whom it may concern Be it known that I, REGINALD CLEVELAND :BARTLETT, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at South Porcupine. in the Province of Ontario, Dominion of Canada,

have invented certain new and useful lmprovcments in Automobile Construction, and do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in automobile construction and the objects of the invention are to provide a new pattern of automobile. especially adapted to cope with traffic conditions on snow, loose ground or mud as well as ordinary paved roads, and having its parts especially designed for use under these conditions.

A furtherj object of he invention is to abolish the present expense and Weightin- Cidcnt to the use of pneumatic tires and at the same time to afford equal, if not greater, resiliency, and amount of life to the wh-e s.

A. further object is to provide an air cushion or a series of air cushions between the axles of the Wheels of the device and the carriage, adapted to have a variable air pressure arranged to meet the particular circumstances under which the car is being used.

lVith a view to illustr ting more clearly the nature of my invention, 1 append to the specification drawings in Which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of one of the cushioning devices. Fig. 2 is a cross section through Fig. 1. Fig. 3 shows a side elevation of the framework of the automobile Fig. l is an elevation View looking from the front of the automobile, that is in the direction of the arrow A on Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 'is'un elevation looking on the rear end of the. automobile in the direction of arrow B on Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the arrangement of frame cushion and axle for the front Wheels of the automobile, and Fig. 7 is a side elevation of the rear wheel and cushioning means showing the relative arrangement between the spindle, the cushions and the body or box of the automobile.

In the construction of automobiles up to the present, ithas been customary to provide a. cushioning means consisting of pneumatic tires fastened by a variety of methods on the outside of wheels and of supporting these Wheels by steel springs to the body of the automobile. T his method does not, however, completely obviate the transmission of vibration from the framework and the Wheels to the body or box of the car, and though this may be Well upholstered or cushioned, that is the body or seats of the car, yet the etlect of this vibration is unpleasant to the users of such conveyance. Further, pneumatic ti res in order to have serviceable qualities "when used with roads in this country require to be very substantial and are correspondingly costly, and steel springs vvith their various fittings also add to the cost of the construction of the automobiles at present in use.

In my invention 1 have dispensed With both the tires and the steel springs which have been up to the present considered a necessity in the construction of automobiles for passenger use, and l have replaced these elements by substituting a springing means comprising an air cushion which is disposed intermediate of the axle and the framework and box of the car, and I am thus able to use wheels with a comparatively hard facing.

Referring now to the drawings in which I have illustrated one particular method of carrying out my invention (which methodhowever, i do not by any means limit myself to in the practical. exploitation of the invention), and referring more particularly to 3, 4. and 7 the frame of the autoi'nobile, it will be seen, is to be constructed in two separate pieces 15 and 16, of which 15 is the lower piece and 16 the frame on which the box or body 17 of the car rests.

The arrangement of the back wheels is shown especially in Figs. 3, 5 and 7, in

which 18 represents the Wheel, 19 represents the brake and 20 the housing containing the shafts and differential gear. It will be seen with a spacing bar 24c'which is prefera pivotally secured to a bracket 25 extending" that the arrangement here ofan air cushion 2-1 which will be more partieularly de scribed hereinafter, is arranged between the housing 20 and that end 22 of the upper frame 16 ;on which the body is secured.

The air cushion 2 1 rests on supports 23 secured to the lower frame at the rear end as well as on the housing and is arranged from the housing 2.0 or may merely be fastened by the friction caused by its engagement with the air cushion at either end and extend right across the rear of the ca r,'-if

I particularly shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 6 and cured to the 28 which extends between 1 above construction and many" like 32 formed at the center of the upper is somewhat different from that of the rear wheels. It will be noticed that the front end of the-lower frame 15 is pivotally se-' a spacing-bar29 and the axle 30 of the front wheel 31, nd that the upper framelfi is pivotally see red to a central boss or the cushion seat 33. The cushion seat 33 is constructed in'a similar fashion tothe rear cushion seats inasmuch as it is preferably formed with hollow" tubes Madaptedwto provide a seating for the air' cushions-=21 and also with facings 26 similar to the fae ings shown in the framework, of'th'e' rear wheels. It will. be noted that theaxle ,30' is made in twopieces and pivoted b'y'fa pin 35 running through forked endsiof thesetwo pieces-to the pin 28 so that the ends of the axle may swing up and down as the air' inay 'be compressed or allowed to expand the air cushionsyaceording to. the jolting ofthe automobile. The spacing bar 29 shown in Fig. 4 and the front axle 30ers, connected together, notronly by the pin 28 but also by pivotally con'nected-shear-like arms 36', :"see Fig. 6, adapted to assist in transmitting any j olting which may be received by the wheels evenly tothe supporting mechanism.

The construction of the air cushion which I prefer to employ is particularly shown in Figs. 1 and 2, in which 21 represents a 'cush;

ion of ovoid outlines and circular'seetion constructed very much after the fashion; of

a pneumatic tire. .The cushion-is preferably upper frame carrying'the-body andea' h vided, two within the opening offthe'cushion made having an inner la er of rubber on the outside'of which isai ayer or Iayers'of impre ated. canvas whichg-maybe of any suitab e thickness-i" s7'rep rege t alve s'ecured at one end to the outside 'o f the cushion adapted for inflating orreleasing of theiair pressure in the'cushion. -.I "do 0t 7Q v wishtto restrict the 'nature of 'thisva. ek'as any of the valves now on the markefi}.might be used .for this purpose and itmight e? sirable to employ a valve having accoiiinio jdation-for flexible connection to a pressu e valve. It will be followed that by varying the pressure of air in the cushions 21* ye widely different embodiments or-m ai 'tion, constructed within the scope of claims, withoutdepartin from thsfiilu scope thereof itf is inten ed that 'all mitt contained in the accompanying specifies-ti and drawings shall be interpretedaa-suus tra'tive, and not in a limiting r; I

- What I claim as my 'invention'is:

' 1. In an automobile and'th dik6h com- 1 0 6 bination with Y the mainframe". and-zma'in axle" and supplemental axl'eiioi suppor lo.-f Gated above andconnected;to'thefmain" v of an endless cushion,interposedbetweelijtlie the 'main'axleia ha', n 'Taii o I the center througk-wh" h; esnp il e i n' ta; axle'br support extends,"whe by our b ing points verticallyabovefone another-an 'mldway of the length of the cushion-am and twowithout, as and for "thief-purpose 2. In anautomobile orthe likei an upper frame, a lower frame' f'said lower (frame being secured atits rear end to th beai'ijigspj or housing of the rearf wheel spindlezandfl being pivotally secured 4 at the front; end to an air. cushion frameworkgsaidair ushion framework comprisingfafspaeingcli aphed to pass between; oppfos' iteliides cram air n 1011 their means I01 evex the {kl m1 MlLLl 44' v X spin Ll 1' level d. limnt zxle upon their like 0011- n ember and ll 1 supl'ront lXlG and the transverse memihe cemver Wen 111w ver ilxnlt axle, an cushsupper;- transverse member at the rear 1 lel'al portloll pel" ivl e and luu'ing the upper peripheral ction zetw'een the mg on beari- H Unne j-er an? the bent axle, and

1 supnorting the rear poras and fee .lle purpose specimeans 550:"

shell me the em.

iemebile and the like, the with a. suitable front axle divided centrally and lmiing a hinge coni n and rear axle suitably connected to e z Irene l the body, 01 a transverse the frontaxle, air

1, ch transverse mem- 1e ,ewer peripheral p01- i: V andhavmg the .pr upper penpheral W e01 nectien between the 1 rent axle, and leg the rear p01- ge connection bemembers "L mmmjlle Ln 1 nee. the

7 tin. frent and rear axles eefisn'zg, 01 a cllnded trans Reese member, tlre i melends of Which are pivetnlly suvp l en the aforesaid l10using, an ai 0 i021 surrounding the free encl of ezel; frame n.i*ml er a u'jl resting on tl mrting member car-- '11- rleaz en 'tLe eral portion of such El C115 and the like, the hunt and rear miles ether meal u 11 "My sev- I porting frame, of transverse members extending intermediately between such axle and the body supporting frameg ovoid air cushions carried thereby and resting on the axles and designed to esdry the 'body'snpr porting'fmme asspecified. I

14:. In an automobile'fand the like; :the combination withjriple transverse members, he'uppe r 1 nember being-designed t9 carry $11.6 body apd thelower member the wheels us -s 6f air cush ions surrounding the cen t ei'zmel nher and bearing against the upper and lower transverse members as and for the purpose specified.

In Witness whereof I have hereuhte 

